Lena Lunsford was taken into custody by authorities in Pinellas County, Fla., where she is awaiting extradition on a charge of death of a child by a parent by child abuse, Lewis County, WV, Sheriff Adam Gissy told The Exponent Telegram.

Lena Lunsford was taken into custody by authorities in Pinellas County, Fla., where she is awaiting extradition on a charge of death of a child by a parent by child abuse, Lewis County, WV, Sheriff Adam Gissy told The Exponent Telegram.

If the flood of prescription painkillers in West Virginia fueled the state’s opioid crisis, new prescribing guidelines being taught to medical students, future pharmacists and nurses are seen as critical to stemming the tide. Earlier this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidelines to ensure patients have access to safer, more effective pain treatments while reducing the risk of opioid abuse.

If the flood of prescription painkillers in West Virginia fueled the state’s opioid crisis, new prescribing guidelines being taught to medical students, future pharmacists and nurses are seen as critical to stemming the tide. Earlier this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidelines to ensure patients have access to safer, more effective pain treatments while reducing the risk of opioid abuse.

Five years into her sobriety, Elly Donahue is more than willing to give credit where it’s due. “Drug court was my first step to recovery,” said Donahue, who graduated from drug court in 2013. “It’s what pushed me in that direction. I’d been in and out of rehab numerous times before, but drug court makes you accountable and responsible for your actions. It’s what I needed.”

Five years into her sobriety, Elly Donahue is more than willing to give credit where it’s due. “Drug court was my first step to recovery,” said Donahue, who graduated from drug court in 2013. “It’s what pushed me in that direction. I’d been in and out of rehab numerous times before, but drug court makes you accountable and responsible for your actions. It’s what I needed.”

A Wayne County, West Virginia woman will spend a year and a day in federal prison for helping a convicted felon obtain five guns from a pawn shop in Huntington.

U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin said Brittany Amanda Hewlett, 25, admitted she lied when the filled out the paperwork for the gun purchase.

Hewlett and an associate had gone to the pawn shop in February, where she filled out the federally-required form and claimed she was buying the guns for herself.

Goodwin, however, said Hewlett told them she'd bought the guns for her associate, who was legally prohibited from buying or possessing guns. When Hewlett and her associate returned to the pawn shop to finalize the gun purchase, an undercover federal agent was present and posed as a sales clerk.

Hewlett's case was investigated by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph F. Adams handling the prosecution.

In other cases:

*Reginald Bennett, 40, of Cedar Grove, West Virginia pleaded guilty to unlawful concealment of a firearm.

Charleston police had stopped Bennett for a traffic violation in September 2013 when they discovered a .38 caliber Colt revolver in his possession. Bennett was prohibited from possessing any gun because of a prior felony conviction.

After his arrest and release, Bennett removed a Ruger M77 rifle from his home in Cedar Grove and hid it in a home in South Charleston to prevent authorities from finding it. The rifle was discovered when a federal search warrant was executed at the South Charleston residence.

Bennett faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison at sentencing, set for Dec. 11. As part of his plea, Bennett agreed to forfeit both the revolver and the rifle.

The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms and Charleston police investigated the case, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Erik S. Goes overseeing his prosecution.

*A Florida man caught with oxycodone and other prescription medications during a December 2011 traffic stop in Summersville, West Virginia pleaded guilty to possession with intent to deliver, Goodwin said.

Gregory Leandre, 31, of Naples, Florida admitted that he and another man had roughly 831 oxycodone pills and 117 hydrocodone pills in their possession when they were stopped by police in Summersville who'd received a tip from a local resident.

Leandre told the court he'd intended to sell the pills.

Leandre appeared in U.S. District Court in Charleston after serving prison time in Florida on an unrelated drug conviction.

He faces up to 20 years in prison at sentencing for the West Virginia violations, which is set for Dec. 9.

Summersville police handled the investigation, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Hanks in charge of the prosecution.